Thing Global, Spend Local
By most estimates, only about 9% of plastic products actually get recycled. According to NASA, 2024 was the planet’s hottest year, and the National Weather Service reports that last summer was downtown Sacramento’s warmest on record. But now for the good news: There are more local retailers than ever that are making it easy to be green. So with Earth Day just around the corner on April 22, we’d like to introduce you to seven of the most eco-forward stores in our region. In the 1967 film The Graduate, young Benjamin Braddock was given one word of advice: plastics. Well, in 2025, we have two: dryer balls. Trust us.
Refill Madness
The Shop: Situated just around the corner from the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op, midtown’s Refill Madness is the region’s oldest refillery, opening in 2016 and boasting over 221,000 refills (and counting) as shown on a tally board behind the counter.
The Shopkeeper: Owner Sloane Read, a former substitute teacher, says she sees her mission as a form of education: “The real push for me is to bring awareness to what goes into making plastics—how costly it is to human health and the planet’s health. And we need to make [sustainability] both convenient and economical.”
Locally Made: Among the regionally crafted products available are body and shampoo bars by Lodi-based Auromere. Refill Madness also makes and sells its own bath bombs and shower tablets. And coffee drinkers will appreciate the patterned and upcycled coffee cup sleeves made by Sacramento’s own Miche Niche brand.
Refill: With nearly 200 kinds of refills on “tap,” options range from body oils to shampoos to detergents and household cleaners. The choices extend to both house-made products (like hand sanitizer) and national eco-friendly brands like Dr. Bronner’s, Ecos or Griffin Remedy. If your liquid favorite isn’t available, the shop’s “soaptenders” can recommend the closest equivalent. Like most refilleries, you can bring your own bottle or purchase one there.
Recycle: In addition to bimonthly e-waste drop-off events (the next one is Wednesday, Apr. 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), Refill Madness is one of only a few regional shops to carry TerraCycle boxes for items that Sacramento’s recycling program can’t handle. For example, the city’s “Waste Wizard” site will tell you to place your plastic Brita filters “in your garbage container,” aka landfill. But the store’s TerraCycle boxes accepts water filters for recycling. Same with fluorescent light bulbs—the city will only accept them at a few far-flung hazardous waste sites, but you can drop them off here (free of charge) and pick up some freshly baked gluten-free crinkle cookies at Pushkin’s next door while you’re at it. A full list of Refill Madness’ TerraCycle boxes can be found on the shop’s website.
Eco Extras: With warm weather on the way, the store’s colorful, reusable water balloons would make for fun eco-friendly playthings. And the paw-shaped dog shampoo bars are, well, positively paw-dorable.
1828 29th St. 916-382-4823. refillmadnesssacramento.com
NUDGE ECO STORE
The Shop: Nudge Eco Store, which launched in 2021, moved to its spacious corner spot in midtown last year after outgrowing its original tiny shopfront nearby. The outlet—which operates both as a brick-and-mortar and online retailer and is the only local eco emporium to offer product subscriptions, à la Amazon—is largely dedicated to eco-friendly go-tos designed to replace your current everyday tools, from bees-wax wraps (to use instead of plastic Saran Wrap) to bamboo dental floss.
The Shopkeepers: Husband-and-wife owners Nick and Alisha Lee—he’s a grant manager for WellSpace Health and she’s a registered nurse at UC Davis Health—trace their passion for the environment to their 2007 Caribbean honeymoon cruise, when they were disturbed by the volume of plastic waste they saw in the ocean. The name of the store reflects their ethos. “Our whole model is based on the nudge theory,” says Alisha. “It’s a statistical theory, basically, where small, incremental changes over a long period of time, are the most effective. Swap out your makeup, then swap out your toothpaste—just one little, tiny thing at a time. You don’t have to do it all at once.”
The Standouts: In addition to name-brand sustainable products like Davids toothpaste (in recyclable metal tubes) and HiBar shampoo bars (which may sound odd but they really work and eliminate plastic packaging), there are interesting surprises on every shelf, from flameless, rechargeable lighters to pairs of reusable silicone ear swabs, which come in compact bamboo casing to replace your 500-pack of single-use Q-Tips. And like many sustainable retailers, Nudge sells wool dryer balls. While theirs are not locally made, they’re certainly the cutest—resembling tiny Earths, smiley faces and ladybugs (which are great for gifting)—and are crafted by “underprivileged women and people with disabilities” in Nepal.
Locally Made: While Nudge sources from around the globe for the most sustainable products they can find, it also features dozens of products by area makers, from wood compost bins made in Elk Grove to dry shampoo from Placerville’s Among the Flowers Apothecary, and body oils and facial toners by Yoli Neal, the pastry chef at Tower Cafe.
Refill: With a dozen or so plant-based, toxic-free options from Missouri’s Rustic Strength, Nudge may offer a relatively small refill selection, but still cleans up nice with replenishable shampoo and conditioner, hand and dish soap, liquid and powder laundry detergent, and spray cleaner.
2131 K St. 916-538-0551. nudgeecostore.com
RUTHERFORD RESERVE
The Shop: This cozy eco boutique tucked away in the heart of downtown Auburn is a refillery with a decidedly personal touch. Aside from a small collection of Earth-friendly accessories like bamboo brushes and silicone pot lids, nearly every item on the densely packed shelves at Rutherford Reserve is handmade by owner Karrie Rutherford, whose offerings also include complimentary hot chocolate and tea for patrons. “I want it to be like you went into someone’s home, and there was a store,” she says.
The Shopkeeper: “I’m a little bit of a Laura Ingalls Wilder and Anne of Green Gables girl,” says Rutherford, of the 19th century’s DIY spirit. “I love to make things.” But that might be an understatement for this stay-at-home mom turned soap savant. More than 20 years ago, she found a book on soapmaking at the library and soon began selling her first bars and other skin care items like face creams at regional markets. From there, the idea of a refillery came naturally. “At the farmers’ market, people would bring me their bottles and be like, ‘Hey, can you fill this with that face cream? I really like it, but I don’t want [to waste] another bottle.’ ” Her list of offerings grew as she experimented, and—rolling the dice in the early days of the pandemic—she opened her store in June of 2020, filling it with her one-of-a-kind concoctions.
Refill: Even with eight types of lotions, five types of shampoos and conditioners, three types of cleansing balms, and a dry-oil-based bug repellant, that’s still only scratching the surface of Rutherford’s house-made products. Roughly 80 products are available for refills—both unscented and with free custom fragrance combinations that Rutherford mixes herself like, say, orange spice and citrus ginger. You can bring your own container or grab a donated one on hand for free or purchase a fine glass bottle for a mix of the stylish and sustainable.
The Standouts: For special sweet somethings, snag Rutherford’s handcrafted bar soaps—available in-store and online—in scents like Maple Chocolate Donuts, Caramel Pumpkin Swirl, Blueberry Cheesecake and Sweet Potato Pie.
Eco Extras: In addition to being a self-care artisan, Rutherford is also an avid sewer. “I probably don’t need to go shop for fabric ever again,” she says, laughing. “I have a lot of fabric.” And she uses that extra stock to fashion inventive goods like a Mason jar filled with “reusable, re-washable and ultimately compostable cloths that comes out of the jar like Kleenex.” To that, we say, “Bless her.”
853 Lincoln Way. Auburn. 916-833-8040. rutherfordreserve.com
ECOJOYOUS
The Shop: As its name suggests, this Old Sacramento storefront proves that being sustainable can be as vibrant and fun as the confetti, macaron and seashell soaps on display.
The Shopkeeper: “Eco-friendly doesn’t have to be bland,” says owner Hope Suson. “It could be bright, it could be beautiful, it could be anything that you want it to be.” The eco-forward craftswoman, who was a local teacher for more than 20 years, launched her Ecojoyous line of planet-friendly wares four years ago, selling them online and at the Saturday Midtown Farmers Market. And last August, she made the leap to expand from a web shop to a brick-and-mortar store with the same name about five months after she was named runner-up in Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s annual Calling All Dreamers contest (second place came with a $10,000 cash prize), setting up shop within the exposed brick walls of the Stanford Brothers Warehouse building (next door to decades-old Candy Heaven for those wanting an easy point of reference).
Locally Made: While Suson offers plenty of house-crafted plastic-free products—including Ecojoyous-branded sets of cutlery, straws, tea bags, makeup and more—she also stocks goods from fellow local makers, including Sacramento’s Roots and Suds soaps and Woodland’s Finally All Natural body oils.
Refill: Along with a bevy of refillable items like shampoo, conditioner, mineral sunscreen and body wash from California-based sustainable brands All Good and ShiKai and a handful of Suson’s own personally brewed liquid soaps, Ecojoyous also carries base ingredients like aloe and witch hazel for those looking to try their hand at creating their own eco concoctions.
110 L St. 916-307-3818. ecojoyous.com
VILLAGE GENERAL STORE & REFILLERY
The Shop: One of several refilleries in the region, the Village General Store in Roseville sets itself apart by not only refilling household soaps, oils and powders, but also offering an extensive list of pantry items—many locally sourced, reducing the carbon footprint—for your kitchen (more on this below), in addition to gifts and plastic-free goods.
The Shopkeeper: “I like to have very open conversations with my customers about what makes the most sense for their life, their lifestyle, their budgets and their family. And that’s going to look different for every person,” says owner Colleen Benson. She opened Village in 2021 when the pandemic up-ended her career in commercial real estate and prompted her to reevaluate her priorities. Having embraced a low-waste lifestyle for years, “I wanted to figure out a way for my work to align more with my personal values,” she explains.
The Standouts: With Village serving as an eco-forward general store, it offers bulk pantry items, from Newcastle’s Wild Groves olive oil to Sacramento’s Camellia Coffee Roasters beans, and you can bring your own container for refilling. The shop also has a mini children’s lending library, where your little ones can read while you shop.
Locally Made: Village carries honey from Sacramento’s Becker, brews from Oak Park’s KC Kombucha, self-care products from Grass Valley’s Wild Bird Apothecary and washable cotton snackbags from Roseville’s Sherrin’s Threads (pictured above).
Refill: Village’s stock varies, but in general, they refill shampoos, conditioners, body lotion, bubble bath liquid, mouthwash, laundry detergent and more (the full list—which features products by Dr. Bronner’s, Rustic Strength and other brands—is on the shop’s website). You can bring your own container or purchase one on-site. Pro tip: The shop opens 30 minutes early on the first Sunday of each month for those wanting a tour and explanation of Village’s refilling options and processes.
Recycle: For hard-to-recycle items that most cities in this region don’t accept, the store maintains boxes from the New Jersey-based TerraCycle. You can bring items like plastic bags, makeup, razors and blades, and toss them in the bins for recycling for free. Fun fact: At Halloween time, you can recycle candy wrappers, which city programs won’t take, by tossing them in a “Trash or Treasure” box by Atlanta-based Rubicon.
500 Vernon St. Roseville. 916-800-2474. villagegeneralstore.co
OF LAND AND SEA CO.
The Shop: Named for the intertidal zones where land and sea meet and where, as co-owner Noelle Walsh explains it, “sometimes it’s really dry, sometimes it’s really wet, and you’re just in it, surviving the best you can,” this store aims to help everyone just do their best in a world where sustainability is sometimes far from easy. After opening their shop in Oak Park in 2021, Noelle and her sister Dani relocated in January to a new home in the (unofficially named) Panama Commons—a hideaway beside the historic Panama Ceramics factory in Hollywood Park—joining a tight-knit complex that includes Mother Natives plant nursery, Meg Myers Glass, and Block and Bowl woodworking company.
The Shopkeepers: Elk Grove natives Dani and Noelle Walsh started living low waste after a 2017 visit to a store in New York City called Package Free opened their eyes to the eco possibilities. But they soon learned that transitioning to an Earth-friendly lifestyle is rarely smooth sailing. “We were 90% zero waste up until the pandemic, when you couldn’t not buy things in plastic,” Noelle says of the reduced supply chain back then. But by 2021, “We were both trying to get back into [living sustainably],” she adds, “And it was, ‘Let’s just bring other people with us.’ ”
The Standouts: The move to Hollywood Park came with a smaller space, so the Walsh sisters drifted away from refillable products in favor of affordable tablet and bar alternatives to everyday items—specifically the ones they use in their own homes, like Nature Bee’s foaming hand soap tablets with compostable packaging, eucalyptus shower steamers from No Tox Life, soap bars from Carmichael’s Foraged Soap Co., and some 20 other low-waste products.
Locally Made: Among the siblings’ favorite offerings are the perfumes, cleansers, face masks, bath soaks and soy candles from Sacramento-based Urb Apothecary, which offers a full line of plant-based, earth-conscious goods that come in either biodegradable or glass packaging.
Sustainable Together: “The community we’re building here, and what we’re offering as a group, is so much bigger than what we can offer as one,” Dani says of the complex housing Of Land and Sea Co., which includes a seating area in the communal courtyard, a book and seed library, and monthly maker workshops.
4421 24th St. oflandandseaco.com
GREEN GIFTS
The Shop: A self-described “milkman”-style delivery service based out of Elk Grove, this online store offers a select range of refillable products—hand, dish and laundry soap, as well as body wash, from Missouri’s eco-focused bulk brand Rustic Strength—that arrive at your door in reusable bottles. And when you order again, you just leave your empties out to be collected by Green Gifts owner Stephanie Hart, who’ll drop off new full bottles and pick up your old bottles to clean and reuse for future orders, further cutting down on waste.
The Proprietor: Stumbling across a zero-waste shop’s booth at a Bay Area farmers’ market in 2019, Hart—who used to work for an electric vehicle charging company—was instantly inspired. Within the year, she started a pop-up selling plastic-free toys at Elk Grove’s erstwhile toy store Gifts from the Heart (hence the name Green Gifts). But she also began zipping around town in her electric vehicle, delivering online orders of eco-conscious soaps and zero-waste supplies to happy greenies throughout the Sacramento region, a service she continues to provide. “We need more things that make sustainability accessible to as many people as possible,” she says. “We also need to make it more convenient.”
Refill: You choose the sizes (4 ounces to a gallon) and bottle type (plastic, glass or aluminum) and pay a $5 flat fee per order for three-day delivery. (Officially, Green Gifts’ delivery area is within 50 miles of Sacramento, but Hart can potentially accommodate those outside that range.) For gallon orders, Hart offers custom scents from Rustic Strength’s two dozen or so options, which you can mix and match for combinations like vanilla bourbon and magnolia, or chamomile and honeysuckle.
Eco Extras: While the stars of this shop are the liquid soaps, Green Gifts also provides solid options too—for both hand delivery and shipping—such as plant-based glycerin soap bars from Oregon’s Sappo Hill, shampoo bars from eco-friendly New Jersey haircare favorite Dip (which eschews Amazon for small women-owned businesses), and sheep’s wool dryer balls—which can last two to five years and replace your single-use dryer sheets (use two to four balls, depending on the size of the load)—made by Hart herself with wool from California and Oregon sheep.
480-678-0167. greengiftseg.com
